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W- LEBOWITZ BUCKLE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-9.1919.

Patented Dec. 23,1919.

INVENTOI? wflwai manners.

WILLIAM LEBOWITZ, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

BUCKLE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM LEBOWITZ, a citizen of the United States, residing at 290 Arlington avenue, borough of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buckles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a buckle especially designed for use on suspenders, but which may be obviously used for other purposes as forgarters and the like.

A buckle operating upon the same general principle is illustrated in U. S. Patent No. 892,963 issued to me out July 7, 1908. In the buckle illustrated in this patent the structure was such that there was a force always tending to releasea clamping means from; the web of the Suspender or similar article, and a catch or detent for preventing this force from operating. This catch or detent could be released by a simple pres sure of the fingers which was all that was necessary to free the web in the buckle, and enable the instant and ready adjustment of the length of the suspender or similar article. The structure illustrated in the said U. S. Patent No. 892,963 was too complicated and had too many parts which required'ha-nd work in. putting them together to enable them to be produced cheaply. According to my invention a buckle having the same general advantages as that illustrated in my former patent is produced out of a single piece of metal by a series of stamplng operations which can be performed by dies operated in an automatic or semi-automatic manner so that a very cheap and simple but efiicient structure is produced, which is very light and has a minimum number of parts.

Other objects of my invention will be disclosed in the following description and drawings which illustrate a preferred em bodiment thereof; 4

Figure 1 is a front view of-the buckle illustrated in connection with suspenders.

Fig. 2 is a side view.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged central section along the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section along the line 44 of Fig. 1 and showing the buckle in its closed or clamping position.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 and showing the buckle in its opened position.

Fig. 6 is the same as Fig. 1, the strap be- 1 ing omitted.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 9. 1919.

Fig. 7 is a rear view of Fig. 6.

The buckle has an arch-like frame 1 made o f springy metal that has considerable reslllency, the arch being so shaped that when the buckle is in the closed or clamping posltion shown in Fig. 4, the resiliency of the arch tends to constantly separate the front 3 of the buckle from the rear 2 thereof. This is normally prevented by the closure fingers 4 and 5 which are formed on the front of the buckle and which in the clamping position of the buckle pass through holes 6 and 7 in flanges 8 and 9 formed on the rear or back 2 of the buckle. As can be seen par ticularly in Figs. 4 and 5, the flanges 8 and 9 having the openings 6 and 7 respectively, are formed by suitably perforating and bending the metal of which the frame of the buckle is made. The ends 11 and 12 of the flanges or-ears 8 and 9 are slightly inclined toward each other so as to form obtuse angles with the adjacent perforated parts of the flanges 8 and 9. As a result thereof when the front 3 of the buckle is pushed toward its rear 2, the parts 4 and 5 act upon the inclined ends 11 and 12 and force the flanges 8 and 9 toward each other, until the parts 4 and 5 pass behind the endsll and 12, when the natural springiness or resiliency of the buckle causes the flanges 8 and 9 to move in opposite directions and to the po sitionl shown in Fig. 4, so that the fingers 4 and 5 are prevented from moving forward and away from the rear 2 of the buckle because of the natural springiness of the arch 1. If however, the flanges 8 and 9 are forced toward each other by a gentle pressure of the fingers, the ends 11 and 12 are moved toward each other until the fingers 4 and 5 are released, when the front 3 is forced sufiiciently far away from the rear 2 so that its bent-in toothed flange 14 is released from the web 15.

As can be seen in Fig. 5, the perforations 6 and 7 extend up to the ends 11 and 12.

The arrows in Fig. 5 show the direction in which pressure must be exerted to release the fingers 4 and 5 from the rear of the buckle.

The bottom of the rear 2 of the buckle is provided with a slot 16 into which one end of the webbing may be inserted and then doubled over upon itself and sewed at 18 as is clearly shown in Fig. 3.

After having been doubled over so as to form a loop 19, the webbing is then passed through the buckle which is opened for that purpose, and to the back of the wearer, there being of course two buckles and two straps of webbing to form the complete suspender. These two pieces of webbing are joined at the back of the wearer in the ordinary and well known manner, and there connected with tabs or supporters for holding up the rear of the trousers, these details not being illustrated in the drawings because they are old and well known. and in themselves form no part of my invention.

The loop 19 is connected to the buttons on the front of the trousers by means of tabs 20, having openings 21, or by any suitable equivalent means.

The operation of this buckle is as follows:

In order to increase or decrease the length of the suspenders, the wearer laterally presses the flanges 8 and 9 in the direction shown by the arrows in Fig. 5 thus releasing the webbing from the buckle, so that the buckle can be moved down or up, as may be required. After this has been done to the satisfaction of the wearer, the front 3 is pressed against the rear 2 of the buckle, until the holding fingers 4 and 5 snap into the position behind the ends 11 and 12 as shown in Fig. 4. The adjustment requires only one hand of the wearer and all injury to the webbing is avoided. The entire buckle can be quickly and cheaply manufactured out of a single blank of springy metal which can be stamped out while flat or plane and then bent into the required shape.

I have described a preferred embodiment of my invention but it is clear that numerous changes in detail could be made withoutdeparting from its spirit.

For example, that part of the back of the buckle against which the inturned flange 14 presses the web 15 could be ribbed or depressed as is customary in buckles of this character to secure a firmer grip.

1. In a buckle, a body having a front and back joined by a resilient arch, the back of said body having means for attaching a strip of webbing thereto, and the front of said body having an inturned flange adapted to engage the said web when it is passed through the said buckle, the shape and resiliency of said arch being such that it tends to force the said inturned flange to a position in which it does not engage with the said web, the said front and the said back being shaped so as to provide locking means adapted to interlock, the said locking means being adapted to be released by lateral pressure on that part of the said locking means connected to the said back, the said interlocking means maintaining the front in such position that its inturned flange engages in the said Web.

2. In a buckle, a body having a front and back joined by a resilient arch, means for securing a strip of webbing thereto, and the free end of the said webbing being adapted to be passed through the said buckle between the said front and back thereof, the said buckle having clamping means adapted to clamp the said web in said buckle, the shape and resiliency of the said arch being such that it tends to force the said clamping means to a position in which they release the said web, the said front and the said back being so shaped as to provide locking means of such contour that they are adapted to unlock and to be released by pressure thereon, the said clamping means being maintained in their clamping position when the said locking means are interlocked and being released by the resiliency of the said arch from the said web when the said looking means are disengaged from each other.

3. In a buckle abody made of resilient material and having a front and back joined by a resilient arch, the back of said body having means for attaching a strip of webbing thereto, and having forwardly projecting side portions bent so as to provide flanges having perforated parts substantially parallel to the back of the said buckle and ends making obtuse angles with the said perforated parts, the said front having an inturned flange adapted to clamp the webbing against the said back, the sides of the said front being bent inwardly and then substantially parallel to the said back, so as to provide holding fingers adapted to interlock with the said perforated parts of the said flanges, to keep the said inturned flange in a clamping position, the resiliency 0f the said arch being adapted to force the said inturned flange away from the said back to release the said web.

4. In a buckle, a body made of resilient material and having a front and back joined by a resilient arch, the back of said body having means for attaching a strip of webbing thereto, and having forwardly projecting side portions bent so as to provide anges having perforated parts substan' tially arallel to the back of said buckle and ends making obtuse angles with the said perforated parts, the said perforations extending substantially up to the said ends, the said front having an inturned flange adapted to clamp the webbing against the said back, the sides of the said front being bent inwardly and then substantially parallel to the said back, so as to provide holding fingers adapted to interlock with the said perforated parts of the said flanges, to keep the said inturned flange in a clamping pos1- tion, the resiliency of the said arch being adapted to force the said inturned flange away from the said back to release the said we 5. In a buckle, a body made of resilient material and having a front and back joined by a resilient arch, the back of said body having means for attaching a strip of webbing thereto, and having forwardly projecting side portions bent so as to provide flanges having perforated parts substantially parallel to the back of the said buckle and ends making obtuse angles with the said perforated parts, the said front having an inturned flange adapted to clamp the webbing against the-said back, the sides of the said front being bent inwardly and then substantially parallel to the said back, so as to provide holding fingers adapted to interlock with the said perforated parts of the said flanges, to keep the said inturned flange in a clamping position, the resiliency of the said arch being adapted to force the said inturned flange away from the said back to release the said web, the distance between the nearest ends of the said holding fingers being less than the distance between the backs of the said ends of said flanges, whereby when the said front is forced toward the said back, the said fingers slide upon the said ends and force the said flanges toward each other until the said fingers are behind the said ends when the resiliency of the material of which the body is made causes the said flanges to spring away from each other.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

WILLIAM LEB OWITZ. 

